Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic Defends 76ers' Joel Embiid Once More

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic discusses the MVP debate once more before his trip to the NBA Finals.

Throughout the 2022-2023 NBA season, fans, analysts, and even players debated the status of the MVP race. For the third-straight season, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic were at the front of the line for the award.

Over the last two seasons, Jokic found himself out in front when the regular season ended and won back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards.

Meanwhile, Embiid came second to him each year. However, the results were different this season.

Rather than Jokic taking home his third-straight MVP trophy, Embiid picked up the first MVP nod in his career, winning a landslide victory over the Nuggets’ center.

While Jokic couldn’t pick up his third NBA MVP nod in 2023, his consolation prize isn’t so bad. On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets completed the sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and will advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

After the Game 4 victory, Jokic was acknowledged as the Western Conference Finals MVP after sealing the deal with an impressive 30-point triple-double performance in the elimination game.

Following the victory, Jokic echoed a similar message regarding his recent MVP nod, making it clear that he’s not focused on any sort of individual award. In explaining that, Jokic brought up the league MVP conversation once more.

“I don’t think about MVPs anymore,” Jokic told reporters. “I think people are just mean in saying Embiid shouldn’t have won it. He should have won it. I think he was playing extremely tough basketball all season. … He was really amazing in 82 games, or how many games he played.”

This season, Embiid appeared in 66 games for the Sixers. For the second-straight season, the big man led the NBA in scoring, notching 33 points per game. He achieved that number while shooting a career-high 55 percent from the field.

In addition to his scoring, Embiid averaged ten rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks per game throughout the year. The star big man helped the Sixers achieve a 54-28 record, which ranked them third in the Eastern Conference.

While Embiid didn’t find the same success as Jokic in the playoffs after coming up short in the second round against the Boston Celtics, the NBA Finals-bound center doesn’t believe anything should be taken away from the Sixers center’s big accomplishment this past season.